Gigi lays wrapped up in hundreds of blankets shivering, her eyes are closed but from the pained look on her face she’s not sleeping. I walk over and sit on the edge of the bed beside her. “Are you ok?” I ask.
“Sick,” she murmurs with a pout in her voice.
I bring my hand up and press it against her forehead and instantly realize she has a fever. “Shit, Gigi. You’re hot.”
“No,” she says, squeezing her eyes closed and letting me know she most likely has a migraine to go with it. “Cold.”
“Have you had anything for it?” I ask her.
“Can’t get out of bed,” she tells me.
Of course not. I squeeze her leg gently before getting up and heading out to her kitchen. I rifle through her cupboards and drawers until I find a glass and some painkillers. I fill the glass with water and head back down to her room.
I help her to sit up before practically forcing the pills down her throat.
From the look of her and her apartment, it looks as though she’s been sick for a little while. “Where’s Mel?” I ask, a little annoyed with her friend for not looking after her better.
“She’s working a double. She doesn’t know I’m sick.”
“Why didn’t you call me?” I ask.
“Because I didn’t want you to see me like this,” she says as if it’s the most obvious answer in the world.
I shake my head and roll my eyes. “Fuck, you’re stubborn. Lay down and try to get some sleep,” I order as I get up.
“Where are you going?” she questions.
“None of your damn business,” I tell her as I head back out to the living room. I go about her home and put the place back together. I fold the blankets on the couch and shove them into her linen closet before heading into her kitchen and washing up the dishes.
Twenty minutes later, I go back down to her room to check on her and find her arms crossed over her perfect chest with a scowl resting on her face. “Did you just do my dishes?”
“So, what if I did?” I tell her.
“You shouldn’t have.”
“Tough shit, let’s go.”
“What?” she sputters. “I’m not sure if you’ve worked it out yet but I’m not particularly feeling up for it today.”
“I told you that I was going to get you out of this apartment today and that’s exactly what I intend to do.”
She raises an eyebrow at me. “And where do you think you’re taking me?”
“To my place.”
“Your place?” she asks with interest making it sound like my place is a mystical land filled with treasure and secrets.
“Yep,” I confirm. “Besides, I got Georgie this little toy doctor kit after she said she wants to be just like you. It will give her a chance to use it.”
Her whole face lights up at hearing about Georgie. “Fine,” she grumbles as she throws the blankets back. “Can I at least shower first?”
“Nope, I just saw your shower. It’s fucking tiny. You can use mine.”
She rolls her eyes and tries to stand out of bed, only the movement makes her wobble. She reaches out for the wall to stabilize herself, but I’m much quicker. I bend down and scoop her up into my arms.
She instantly snuggles into me and wraps her arms around my neck. I start walking out of her room when she calls out. “My phone.”
I turn back around and make my way to her bedside table. She scoops it up and orders me out to the kitchen where she grabs her keys off the kitchen counter.
Satisfied that she’s got what she needs, I lock up her apartment and put her in my truck.
I climb in beside her and start the engine as her head lolls against the window. She reaches forward and turns the hot air on full blast. “Are you doing ok?” I ask. “You’re not going to barf in my truck are you?”
“Mmmm,” she replies.
“Is that a yes or a no?” I ask as I pull out into the traffic.
“I really couldn’t be sure to tell the truth.”
Shit. I step on the gas to avoid chunks being blown in my car. I pull up in my driveway fifteen minutes later and smirk at the way Gigi stares up at my house in wonder.
“What the fuck, dude?” she grunts as she looks up at it.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I question as I hop out and head around to her side.
I open her door and take her hand to help her down. “Your house, it’s like… I don’t know, a grown-up house.”
I burst out laughing and she cringes at the noise. “Sorry,” I say as I start leading her up the stairs. “What were you expecting?”
“I don’t know, not this. Everything about you has been perfect so far. Statistically, it’s going to go downhill at some point, right? I mean, surely my luck is bound to run out soon?”
“You think I’m perfect, huh?”
“Shut up,” she groans as a beautiful flush takes over her cheeks.
“I’m far from perfect, babe, but I do have my shit together,” I tell her as I pull her into my arms. “Besides, I think I’m the lucky bastard when it comes to you and me.” She presses her lips together and gently shakes her head. “Come on,” I say, unlocking my front door. “Let me get you inside before you pass out on my doorstep.”
With a grateful nod, she allows me to pull her into my home. She looks around with interest but doesn’t have the energy to comment, though, I’m sure the second she’s feeling better, she’s going to go on a rampage.
I pull her through to my living room and she looks at my massive couch with desire. I swear, the thing is big enough to use as a bed. She instantly falls down into it and I run upstairs to the spare bedroom and strip the bed of its pillows and blanket.
I come back to the living room and she greedily accepts them. I grab the TV remote for her before showing her how to actually control the complex thing. She finds a channel with some ridiculous show that I wouldn’t watch in a million years then turns the volume down and watches me.
I sit down at her feet and pull them up onto my lap with her eyes on me. “What?” I ask.
“Why are you doing this?”
I squeeze her foot as her eyes bore into mine. “Do I need a reason?”
She shrugs her shoulders. “I don’t know, apart from my parents and Mel, no one has ever gone out of their way for me before.”
I grab hold of her feet and drag her down the couch before pulling her up into my lap. “I don’t see it as going out of my way. I see it as taking care of what’s mine.”
“Yours, huh?” she murmurs.
I press a kiss to her forehead and pull her into me. She throws her arms around my neck and snuggles her face into my chest. “Definitely mine.”
I run my hands up and down her back and it doesn’t take long before she’s falling asleep. I pick her up and lay her back down on the couch. She instantly slips her hands under the pillow and lets out a sigh. I pull the blanket up and hit mute on the TV.
I head into the kitchen and look up a recipe for chicken soup. I study it for a minute before deciding this kitchen shit is too hard. I’ll pick some up from the store when I get Georgie from daycare.
I duck in to check on Gigi to find her out like a light. I place a glass of water and some more pain killers down on the coffee table with a note saying I’m heading out to get Georgie and I’ll be back in half an hour.
After collecting Georgie and finding out she was a cheeky girl again today, I duck into the store. Georgie sits up in the cart and grabs things off the shelves, only for me to put them back and her to grab something else when my back is turned.
I give in and let her pick a few things of her own before strapping her into her car seat. I let her know Gigi is at home and that she needs to be quiet because Gigi isn’t feeling very well. This instantly makes Georgie’s little face light up as she can finally use the doctor kit I got her.
We get home and Georgie runs up the stairs as fast as her little legs will take her, then stomps her feet when it takes me too long to g
et to the door because she can’t reach the handle yet.
I open the door and she bolts inside with an excited squeal. I cringe hoping Georgie doesn’t wake Gigi and remind myself to talk to her about following instructions. I head into the kitchen and dump the shopping bags down before hearing a shuffling coming from the couch.
I walk into the living room and let out a relieved sigh as I find Georgie sitting up in Gigi’s lap begging her to change the channel. Gigi looks over to me with a smile and I’m pleased to find she looks a million times better.
“How are you feeling?” I ask.
“Better,” she tells me. “My head still hurts but the pain killers helped a lot.”
“Good,” I smile. “Are you hungry?”
She nods her head and is about to say something when Georgie demands her attention. I go back to the kitchen and get started on her soup, before making a bowl for myself and Georgie.
While I prepare our soup, I watch in amusement as Georgie runs out of the living room, disappears and returns a moment later with her doctor kit in her hand. “Oh, Georgie,” I hear dramatically from Gigi. “I’m so sick. If only there was a doctor around.”
Georgie squeals in delight and I cringe, betting that the noise is killing Gigi’s head.
After twenty minutes and a struggle from Georgie, we sit up at the table to eat. I can’t tear my eyes away from Gigi as she curiously looks around. “You’re dying to go exploring, aren’t you?” I say as a grin creeps across my face.
A guilty expression appears over her beautiful face before she looks back at me. “I might be,” she admits.
“I’ll give you the grand tour as soon as you’re done.”
‘Thank you,’ she mouths across the table. I give her a wink and watch in delight as her cheeks instantly flush.
As soon as we’ve finished, I clear the table and take her hand. I lead her around the house, showing off the home I’m so proud of.
I show her all around the basement that’s been transformed into a home gym and bachelor pad before the ground level which she’s pretty much already seen. I watch in curiosity as she climbs the stairs to the top floor and takes in the huge canvas print of Sara and I on our wedding day. She stops midstep and looks at the print for at least a whole minute.
I try to work out what the hell is going through her head but she’s giving nothing away.
It’s a strange feeling, standing here with my girlfriend while looking at my wife, but just like any time I’m in front of a picture of Sara, my eyes can’t help but find their way back to hers.
I get distracted looking at the old picture when Gigi squeezes my hand. “I’m good to keep going,” she murmurs.
With that, I lead her the rest of the way up the stairs and continue showing off my home.
Chapter 19
Gigi
This place is amazing. I’ve been in Sean’s home all afternoon and yet I still can’t come to terms with how magnificent it is.
I swear, this place is fit for a queen. Every inch of the place is designed with absolute love. Sean had explained that his brother Carter was the one who built it, but Sara was the one behind the design and it’s shows.
The only space that I could actually see Sean’s true input was the bachelor pad downstairs. It was like walking into the most ridiculous man cave. He was so proud of it. The whole room was packed out with a gym, all the gaming consoles in the world, the biggest mother fucking flat screen I’ve ever seen, and of course, a pool table and a ping pong table which had a game of beer pong set up on it.
Don’t get me wrong, the rest of the house has his touch as well, but it’s more of their touch, rather than just his. It was like getting hit in the face with a bucket of cold water. Hearing about his wife and seeing it are two very different things.
Ever since the shooting I’ve pretty much seen Sean every day, which I’m loving but it’s been driving me insane that it’s stopping at the hand holding and kissing. I’m ready to take the next step with him and I guess that I forgot just how hard this is for him.
But not anymore. Seeing the pictures of how happy they were on their wedding day reminds me that he will never truly be all mine. He will forever share a piece of his soul with the woman he lost and that’s just something I’m going to have to get used to. Honestly, I don’t think I’ll have any problems with it, I just hope Sean can find the room within his heart to share it with me.
In no way do I want to take any of the essence of Sara away. It’s so important to Georgie that she knows her mother. Even though she only met her on the day she was born, I’d like to think she can get to know her through Sean’s memories and her presence within their home. I guess it’s actually kind of beautiful.
I sit on the couch, snuggled up to the pillow as Sean and I watch a movie. He holds my hand and I will the butterflies to relax. Dinner comes and goes and before I know it, I’m tucking Georgie into her bed, which apparently is a big girl bed, made only for big girls.
I somehow get roped into singing Twinkle, Twinkle, Little star which instantly has her snoring on my shoulder. I squirm out from under her and pack the six books she demanded I read into her bookshelf before turning on the baby monitor and slipping out the door.
I head back towards the stairs when I see a black and white photo of Sara hanging on the wall and I can’t help but stop and stare. She is nothing short of radiant. I mean, it’s no wonder Sean was so drawn to her when they first met. The woman is unbelievably beautiful and with both hers and Sean’s genes, there’s no doubt in my mind that Georgie is going to have lines of boys pining for her attention.
I find myself studying her eyes, her cheek bones, the soft flow of her hair and pretty much every inch of the photograph, desperate to know the woman who stole Sean’s heart.
I lean back on the opposite wall as I look to her and with tears coming to my eyes, I tell her every damn thing that’s within my heart. “Hi Sara, I know I never knew you when you were here, but from what I’ve heard and seen of you, you were an incredible woman and would have made one hell of a mother.”
“Woman to woman, I have to tell you that I’m falling madly in love with your husband. He is… wow, he’s everything. He’s the kindest man I have ever met. He’s been through hell and back and with everything he does he shows me that he is unbelievably respectful and strong.”
“I honestly don’t know what to believe about the afterlife so I don’t know if you’re looking down on him and Georgie, but in case you’re not, you should know that he’s an amazing father. Georgie is his whole world and he’s doing an incredible job of raising her. Though, I’m sure you’d already know that. It’s no secret what kind of man he is.”
“Surely you must also know that when you passed, his heart shattered. Sara… I want to put it back together for him. I want to bring joy and happiness back to his life. When I look at the photographs of the two of you together, I see that happiness in his eyes. I need to bring that back to him.”
“It’s important to me that you know I would never try to replace you. You were a massive part of his life and you were the woman who taught him how to love. In fact, you’re still a massive pat of his life and forever will be. What you were to him, made him the incredible man he is today.”
“I know I can’t really ask for your blessing, so I’m going to have faith that you would want him to be happy. I will never be able to amount to the woman you were, but I swear to you, Sara, I’m going to try every single day. If this thing between us is as real for him as it is for me, then I will spend the rest of my life bringing him and your little girl joy, and I promise you that I will never allow them to forget you.”
“I guess… there’s really no great way of saying this, but your passing has lead me to the greatest happiness known to human kind, and I want to say thank you. My heart truly aches for you, that you left this world so young and had to leave Sean and Georgie behind, though, I’m absolutely sure you’ll be waiting for them on the other side and I h
ope when that time comes, you’ll have room for me too.”
With tears streaming down my face, I step into the bathroom and take a second to compose myself. I take a few slow, deep breaths, finally feeling completely at peace with the fact that Sean has and will forever have another woman in his life.
I feel as though I have met her, even though it was a one-sided conversation. There was something peaceful about pouring my heart out to her and I feel as though I’ll probably do it again someday.
I look at myself in the mirror and splash some water on my face before looking longingly at the shower. It’s been a shitty day because of my migraine but Sean came in and swooped me off my feet like a knight in shining armor.
I step out of the bathroom, feeling as though I should probably ask him before stripping off my clothes in his house and jumping in his shower. I head down the stairs and pass the canvas print of their wedding day on the stairs. I find myself smiling at Sara as I pass her, feeling like we have a secret connection.
I find Sean on the couch, in exactly the same position as I had left him. “I thought I was going to have to go find you soon,” he murmurs as he pats the space beside him.
I stay on my feet as I smile back at him. “Georgie insisted on six books and a song,” I explain.
“Oh God, I’m sorry,” he chuckles. “She sure is going to love having you around.”
Fuck, that feels good to hear. “I bet,” I say, unable to keep my smile from turning into a wide grin. “Would you mind if I showered? I think it will help to make me feel human again,” I ask before I instantly start freaking out. I mean, I just went straight ahead and assumed I was staying. What if he was about to ask me to leave for the night? But then, it’s a Friday night and Georgie is already in bed. He’s a sensible guy. If he had intended on taking me home, he would have done that before doing Georgie’s bedtime routine.
Oh shit, this could be really embarrassing if I’m wrong.
“Oh, sure,” he says getting to his feet. He places his hand on my lower back which, apart from holding my hand, I’ve come to realize is where he always places his hand whenever walking, like a true gentleman.
Sean: Denver Royalty (Book 3) Page 14